Apple’s MacBook Air is reportedly becoming increasingly difficult to buy as the global memory shortage tightens supply and forces the company to steer customers towards its more expensive MacBook Pro.

Retail sources told Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman that shipments of the M5 MacBook Air were more constrained than they could recall, with some configurations not expected to arrive until late August or early September.

Apple has reportedly added ‘MacBook Air subject to availability’ warnings to some promotional material and is giving the base 14-inch MacBook Pro more prominent placement across its website and retail stores.

The unusual move would push customers towards a significantly more expensive device while Apple attempts to manage limited supplies and reportedly clear MacBook Pro inventory ahead of an M6 refresh.

Apple recently warned that supply constraints and component costs could weigh on its coming quarter.

Outgoing chief executive Tim Cook described the surge in memory pricing as a “100-year flood”, despite Mac revenue climbing 29% during the June quarter.

Australian buyers have already been hit with major price increases caused by rising memory and storage costs globally, which was dubbed ‘RAMageddon’ at the end of last year.

Apple increased the starting price of the 13-inch MacBook Air from A$1,799 to A$2,099 in June, while the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro now starts at A$3,199 – A$1,100 more than the Air.

MacBook Air 13‑inch and MacBook Air 15‑inch - Apple (AU)

It remains unclear whether Australian orders are facing the same extended delivery times reported overseas, although Apple’s local website continues to list both the 13-inch and 15-inch M5 MacBook Air.

The shortages are being blamed on soaring demand for memory from AI data centres, with chipmakers prioritising higher-margin server customers over consumer electronics manufacturers.

The pressure has already affected Apple’s Mac mini and Mac Studio ranges and is now spreading to one of its highest-volume computers.